Spiced Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting — A tender and moist classic two-layer carrot cake with tangy-sweet cream cheese frosting! For anyone who loves carrot cake, this cake looks and tastes so impressive but is EASY to make! Perfect for Easter, springtime, or any carrot cake cravings you have!
The BEST EVER Carrot Cake Recipe
Carrot cake is one of my absolute favorite cakes in the world! This two-layer carrot cake is layered and frosted with tangy-sweet cream cheese frosting resulting in a classic carrot cake.
I love that the batter for this spiced carrot cake can be whisked together by hand, or use a mixer if you’d like. Since the cake uses melted butter rather than softened butter, I easily can whisk the batter together.
I also incorporate crushed pineapple in the batter to add extra flavor, texture, and juiciness. There’s nothing worse than dry cake and this layered carrot cake is anything but. It’s definitely so moist without being heavy!
Feel free to add nuts or raisins if you’d like, but they’re optional.
It’s the perfect Easter, springtime, Mother’s Day, or anytime-you’re-craving-carrot-cake kind of cake!
Ingredients in Spiced Carrot Cake
For the easy, no-mixer carrot cake batter, you’ll need to use:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Spices
- Unsalted butter
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Grated carrots
- Crushed pineapple, optional but highly recommended
- Walnuts, optional
- Raisins, optional
For the cream cheese frosting, you will need:
- Cream cheese
- Butter
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Ground cinnamon
What Spices Go in Carrot Cake?
Some carrot cake recipes call for store-bought spice blends, but I prefer to measure out each individual spice to ensure the cake tastes balanced.
The carrot cake spices you’ll need for this recipe are:
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground allspice
- Ground nutmeg
- Ground cloves
How to Make Spiced Carrot Cake
This carrot cake is made 100% from scratch and so is the carrot cake frosting. The batter can be whisked together in a single bowl, so there’s minimal cleanup!
- Begin by spraying two 9-inch round cake pans with baking spray, making sure to either spray or brush it up the sides. Add a circle of parchment paper to the bottom of each cake pan and set them aside.
- To a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cloves, and set that aside.
- To a separate, large, microwave-safe bowl add the butter and heat to melt it before whisking in the sugars. (I like to keep recipes no-mixer whenever possible and use a whisk, although you could certainly break out a hand mixer for this task.)
- Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each adding, before adding the vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, stir, and then add in the grated carrots.
- Optionally, add the pineapple, walnuts, and raisins before dividing the batter equally between your cake pans and baking your cakes.
- Cool the cakes and then invert them.
Tip: Make sure to cool the cakes completely before frosting them so that the frosting doesn’t melt.
How to Make Carrot Cake Frosting
Making the cream cheese frosting for the carrot cake is even easier than the batter itself! Here’s how the carrot cake frosting comes together:
- To the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl and electric hand mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth.
- Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar to the bowl. Be careful, the sugar tends to puff up if you turn the mixer too high!
- Beat the frosting until it’s nice and fluffy!
How to Frost a Carrot Cake
Frosting a two-layer cake is easier than you may think. Here’s a quick lesson on frosting your cake so it’s the best ever carrot cake!
- Once the cake layers are cool, take the parchment paper off the bottoms and place one of the cakes bottom side down onto your serving platter. There should be very little doming but if there is you can trim off a bit to make it more even.
- Add 1½ cups of the frosting on top of the cake and smooth it out to the edge.
- Invert the second cake and place it bottom side up on top of the frosting.
- Add a crumb coat to the entire cake. This means adding a thin layer of frosting around all exposed surfaces of the cake to seal in the crumbs.
- Place the cake in the fridge for at least 2 hours to set.
- After the cake has set, frost it with the remaining cream cheese frosting.
- Optionally add the remaining walnuts along the bottom edge of the cake, slice, and serve your masterpiece!
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you do not. They are all optional.
The pineapple really helps to keep this cake extra moist as well as incorporating extra flavor and natural sweetness and while I don’t recommend omitting it, you theoretically could.
As for nuts, I tend not to love nuts in desserts but in carrot cake I do think they are somewhat classic so for this classic layered carrot cake I used them. However, I have plenty of carrot cake recipes where I do not. Whether it’s simply a matter of preference or it’s a nut allergy, if nuts are not your thing, these are very easy to omit.
Or you could use them only in the batter, OR only on the frosting; you don’t need to use them in both places if you want to go light on the nuts.
I also think chopped pecans could work although chopped walnuts are the classic choice.
I know there is lots of controversy in this world about raisins. Two camps — love ’em or hate ’em. I personally love them and would never skip them when making a classic spiced carrot cake. They plump up so nicely in the cake while baking and give a great texture but omit them if you are not a raisin person.
When making any kind of carrot bread or carrot cake, I always recommend using hand-grated carrots on the coarse side of a box grater.
I do not recommend buying pre-shredded carrots in bags from your grocery store. They tend to have a much firmer, harder, and drier texture and are not at all advised in my opinion when making carrot-based desserts.
Store extra spiced carrot cake airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days. It needs to be stored in the fridge and not at room temp due to the cream cheese frosting.
Tips for the Best Spiced Carrot Cake
Make ahead option:
If desired, you can bake the cake layers the day before, then frost the cake the following day. The carrot cake frosting can also be made the day before, if desired. Just store it in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to frost the cake.
Mix-ins:
This is a recipe where you can easily add and subtract ingredients such as the pineapple, walnuts, and raisins as discussed.
Spices:
You can mix and match the spices and their quantities. I actually use 3 teaspoons (1 tablespoon) of cinnamon rather than the 2 teaspoons as written because I love cinnamon and detest mild-flavored carrot cake, aka bland.
However, not everyone loves it as much so add the cinnamon based on personal preference. Notable though, anything less than the 2 teaspoons, as the recipe is written, just isn’t enough to give a classic carrot cake flavor.
The addition of the nutmeg and cloves, coupled with the ginger that’s found in most allspice blends, all serve to give a nice warmth to the cake. However, you can leave these out and/or add more cinnamon in its place. Or, if you love cloves like I do, you can add a bit more. Same goes for the nutmeg.
Cream cheese:
Make sure your cream cheese when making the cream cheese frosting is really well-softened to room temperature. If not, your frosting will have a tendency to be lumpy.
Confectioners sugar:
If you want to ensure less lumps, go ahead and sift the confectioners’ sugar as well before adding it. Although it’s not truly essential.
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Spiced Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon*, I use 3 teaspoons for bolder flavor
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups grated carrots, by hand on the coarse blade of a box grater
- 8 ounces canned crushed pineapple, drained well; optional but highly recommended
- 1 cup chopped walnuts, optional and divided
- ½ cup raisins, optional
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 ounces brick-style cream cheese, not lite, very well softened to room temp**
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 5 cups confectioners' sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with baking spray. Using your fingers or a pasrty brush, make sure the spray covers all inside surfaces of the pans and that they are evenly coated. Add a circle of parchment paper to the bottom of the pans; do not extend it up the sides of the pans. Spray with baking spray, set aside.
- To a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, allspice, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves* (see Notes below); set aside.
- To a large microwave-safe bowl, add the butter and heat to melt, about 1 minute.
- Add the sugars and whisk well to combine, or beat with a handheld electric mixer.
- Add the eggs one at a time, whisking or beating after each addition
- Add the vanilla and whisk or beat to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined, scraping down the sides as necessary to incorporate everything well; don't overmix.
- Add the carrots, optional but recommended drained pineapple, half of the walnuts (optional), and the raisins (optional) and stir until everything is incorporated.
- Divide the batter between the two cake pans, lightly smoothing the top with a spatula and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean, or a few moist crumbs hanging on is okay but no wet batter.
- Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes in the pans. Invert the pans and let cool completely on a wire rack. While the cakes cool, make the frosting.
Frosting
- To the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or large mixing bowl and handheld electric mixer, add the cream cheese**, butter, and beat on medium until smooth.
- Add the vanilla, confectioners' sugar, cinnamon, and beat to combine staring on low speed at first, and scraping down the sides as necessary. Turn the mixer to medium-high and whip until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Assembling
- Once the cakes are cool, take the parchment paper off the bottoms. Place one of the cakes bottom side down onto your serving platter. There should be very little doming but if there is you can trim off a bit to make it more even.
- Add 1½ cups of the frosting on top of the cake and smooth it out to the edge.
- Invert the second cake and place it bottom side up on top of the frosting.
- Add a crumb coat to the entire cake — meaning add a thin layer of frosting around all the exposed surfaces of the cake to seal in the crumbs.
- Place the cake in the fridge for at least 2 hours to set.
- After chilling, frost with the remaining cream cheese frosting.
- Optionally add the remaining 1/2 cup walnuts along the bottom edge of the cake before slicing and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Carrot Cake Desserts:
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Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting – My favorite foolproof recipe for soft, moist, flavorful carrot cake cupcakes!
Cream Cheese Carrot Cake Bars — Dense, chewy, super moist bars that taste like carrot cake with a cream cheese topping that’s baked right in so you don’t need to worry about frosting them!! So much EASIER than making carrot cake but with similar flavors you will LOVE!!
Soft and Chewy Spiced Carrot Cake Cookies – Tons of texture and so moist with zero cakiness. Eat your vegetables by way of healthy cookies!
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I know that your title is “Layer Cake” but would like to know if I can bake this recipe as is into a 9×13?
I have only made the recipe as written so can’t predict how this will work as a 9×13 cake. Please see the Related Recipes specifically https://www.averiecooks.com/salted-caramel-carrot-cake/ as it’s a 9×13 carrot cake.
I’m sure you’re aware, but you can buy (or make, not sure how but the web knows all) these strips of “fabric” that won’t ignite in your oven. Their purpose is to keep your cakes from becoming uneven, aka dreaded dome syndrome. You wet them and they Velcro around the sides of the pan. In the oven, the water in these strips heats up, ensuring the sides bake at the same rate (or close to it) as the top, resulting in very little-to-no dome. Add them as an Amazon affiliate link and make some “dough” (sorry, I couldn’t resist). And…carrot cake is my fave-I’ve never seen so many variations, so thanks for that!